Bits&Pieces

dan's invention and foo fighters

Exhibit A: layering tees. Wow. Seriously. Who knew? Well apparently, Dan. Way to go, Zilsk!

Just bought four tickets to see Dave & Co. next February at the Target Center in Minneapolis. I did the whole internet presale thing, and when the first set of seats came up, they were for General Admission, standing room only, and I had to think fast: would Margie and me want to be tossed around like rag dolls, all in the name of getting just a little closer? And then I remembered: i'm OLD. I'm not standing for anyone but Neil and the national anthem. Sorry. But it's not like we were planning to flash Dave some boobie, either. That is SO last decade for us. But we do fully plan to get liquored up! Hmmm... maybe some boobie will come out afterall...

But I got some seats instead. Margie concurred. We're too old to stand. I think I'll bring my knitting, too. You know, to pass time during whatever lame opener they have. Because there's no way they'll match the coolness of having Weezer at their last go round.

Now you know I'm all about pushing music on people, and to tell you the truth, when they don't like it, I can't help it. I take it personally, and get really despondent, and wonder, why in God's name continue on, really? i mean, what's the point?

So with that in mind, (and you can't buy this album in the US until January) check out adorable, furry little Liam Finn in this clip.  (You have to click on "watch video.") Think Eliot Smith minus despair plus a leprachaun. (Rolling Stone's description, not mine) And, enjoy.

Dan

I tell Dan this morning that I want to buy some layering tees, long and short sleeved… that I really think it's going to be my critical wardrobe plan for winter 2008… that I think it's time that I start layering. His reply:

"I've been saying that for years. I practically invented layering."

a bit more

There were a few questions on my little Emily-inspired album, and because I'm really lame at answering questions (and it's not that my heart isn't full of love and compassion, but more along the lines of I am… lazy) I thought i'd write a bit more on it.

Um. Okay. Yes, my album has a chipboard front and back. The back is 8 x 8, roughly. But the inside is just all papers and bits and pieces of stuff. No chipboard inside.

I'm following Emily's lead, and making sure there are 52 pages to write on, one for each week of the year. I am going to stamp numbers and such over the next few weeks.

That paper with the blue trim and the scalloped edge? That, my friends, is the most adorable little pad you will ever find from my good friends at Making Memories. I used several pages from this clever little notepad in this album.

And someone had asked if i printed the type right onto the photo on the Girl Gathering layout.  Yes. Yes i did. I dropped the photo into an InDesign document, then typed the title and subhead onto the photo, and changed the color of the type to white.

Because I'm cool like that.

Love,
Cathy

i love a great idea…

…that I had nothing to do with, but get to have complete and total fun with. And the idea that is making me feel creative and happy right now is a cool concept for a gratitude journal by Emily Falconbridge. Having just spent a little time with Emily, and seeing how cool her handmade albums are in person, when I saw this idea, I thought: I can frickin' do this, man!

So last night, I started pulling a bunch of scraps and things together, along with my three hole punch, and gathered most of what I need to prepare my album for 2008. I'm calling it, "It's a Wonderful Life," and I plan to record, each week, the things that I'm grateful for. (You should read what Emily wrote on another website about the impetus for the album. Damn, Emily, you're a good writer, too! What don't you do?) So here's where mine is right now:

I love those cool little Making Memories Kraft Word Stickers.  (You can find some online here.)

Here's what some of the guts look like:

I still have to stamp/add numbers to my various pages. I'll do that over the next few weeks. I loved pulling little bits of this and that together to add to the pages. Emily suggests using the largest piece as the back of your album. Mine is chipboard, and measures roughly 8 x 8. Everything else is trimmed down. I need some matching jump rings, and then it's good to go.

Then i'll sit down with it once a week and write out what I'm thankful for in an effort to curb my "woe is me" tendencies, and any other bits of complaining that always seem to simmer just below my surface. I need a reminder of gratitude. Every day, really.

And on the subject of gratitude, I'm grateful for the girls weekend i had just over a week ago. Made a page with a fabulous picture taken by Tara (who just layed that big assed camera of hers on the old sidewalk and set the timer to shoot. Love that.) The only thing missing from this page is Lisa McG, who had to take off by the time we shot this. It makes me smile. Love the little Noteworthy clips , the curvy, lined Making Memories paper and the My Mind's Eye Out&About paper (which the whole collection is gorgeous!) And yes, currently, i am, in fact, scallop-edged crazy. I seriously love my Fiskars trimmer, and all the interchangeable blades. Never thought I'd love anything other than my X-acto knife and metal ruler.)

And last but not least, on the subject of "Things that i am exceedingly happy about"… my new computer came in over the weekend. After 24 days of single processor powered work, I'm truly feeling the dual 3.0 GHZ love.

But I guess you could, at some point or another, say that for all of us, now couldn't you?

cheers

Hope you have a day full of thanks and all things that are good.

Happy Thanksgiving.

…in the hundreds

While anxiously awaiting a call from Apple today (dear God, it's me, Cathy… please let my computer be ready)… I figured i'd share another installment from the upcoming docudrama. This one is rated "G" for GREAT film making and nary a mention of scrap porn.

Oh, and to all those people who were freaked out by yesterday's Old Greg clip, I'm sorry, but... I'm old Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeg.

make an assessment

Just returning from a girls weekend in Southern California. Spent the weekend at the lovely miss Emily Falconbridge's home, with a group of lovely girls who know me, and they've seen meh, and they love meh.

And if that makes no sense to you, watch this. You might be like, "What the hay?" But if you give it time to settle into your brain, you may find it as insanely funny as it truly is, and you may find youself running around the house saying, "I'm OLD GREGGGGGGGGGGGGG" just like we did on this past weekend. Good times, people.

dream it, scrap it, live it

Someone should stop me. Possibly? Maybe not. I should be working. I have to pack, too. (Headed to California in the am.)  Until then, enjoy my... indulgences.

the video blog revolution!

Because I have nothing better to do with those 47 seconds in the early evening.

My goal? To make a complete documentary one day, full of clips. Just like this.

The gift of time

Just after 9 a.m.… it's my most favorite time of the day. The coffee is fresh, the music is quiet and the house is empty. The work day is at hand, and the potential for productivity is at 100 percent. Sure, the day could spiral completely out of control within less than 30 minutes, but right now, it's simply full of wide-eyed optimism. So I grabbed the clock from the bathroom this morning to take a picture of time.

I'm not trying to be all existential or nothin', but some days, I'm so thankful for time. The time I have. Here. In my life. For all the pissing and moaning that is part and parcel of being, well, me… if I strip it all down to the basics, I'm thankful for time. There it is.

I saw a cool project in the November issue of Creating Keepsakes, and I think i want to use that idea of a blessings box as a springboard to create my own take on it, and then bring it to our Thanksgiving celebration, where everyone can contribute their notes to the box. Not sure how it'll shake out. But I do know this: time is one of the things I will add to the box. Definitely.

In Other News…

• Isn't her pretty?

• I can't adequately tell you how much this made me laugh. Maybe it's because I've both seen her bedroom and been to late 80s all-night dance parties, before they were called 'raves' and included glo-sticks.

• This, too…funny stuff.

• I saw this link on dooce.com, and it got me thinking and after thinking I make the following statement: there are a lot of great bands making great music out there, (Neil and Co. included) but it seems like Radiohead have pretty much cornered the market on cool. Even if you don't like them, you have to tip your hat to their cool. Totally.

• Have a great tuesday.